Walking the Cottage District, the final act of the Buffalo Fling

The 2026 Buffalo Garden Fling ended with another afternoon walking tour, this time through the Cottage District. If memory serves I snapped this photo as we got off the bus, I don't think this garden was open for us to explore.

From the Fling program: A NOTE ON THE COTTAGE DISTRICT. This area is the beating heart of Buffalo’s annual Garden Walk. Thousands descend on this charming neighborhood of (mostly) 19th century workers’ cottages and their accompanying gardens, which are usually too small for more than 10 visitors at a time. These gardens illustrate perfectly why a big bank account and a half acre of space aren’t necessarily the key ingredients for a spectacular American garden.

There were six open gardens listed on the program map. I moved through them as part of a random expanding and contracting group, following folks who seemed to know where they were going. I failed completely at noting whose garden we were visiting, they all ran together, along with interesting front gardens we walked by, like this one. Well, I guess it isn't really a garden, but it was interesting. What's the story on the pink buffalo? And the rock? And the solar lighting?

High contrast for the win here...

Many of these homes had such a distinctive style.

I love a vintage metal urn or two. I think it deserves a more adventurous planting however.

Gomphrena

And so much color!

This gardener (the previous 3 photos were from the same garden) expanded the space available to her by building a platform on the roof of her garage. We were forbidden to climb up there...

... and if I remember correctly she no longer uses the space, an age and ability issue.

Onward! To an area with oddly shaped lots and narrow passageways.

A fun way to go vertical with your terracotta pots.

Cotton candy pink and tangerine, that's an unusual house-color combination.

Lush front garden plantings...

This was one of the widest entries we walked down that day. You could drive an actual car through there! 

Of course plants (lots and lots of Coleus) were given priority over motor vehicles.

Flingers enjoying a sit spot.

A parting shot.

And my last Fling photo!

In case you haven't heard, the Garden Fling returns to Portland in 2027—July 22-25 (plus an optional day on the 26th)—I'm not part of the planning team this time, but I know the team is putting together an amazing weekend!

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2026 Buffalo Garden Fling, the rest of Sunday morning

After we finished up at the Fox garden, the Fling buses took us to the Bove Grove...

From the Fling program: This property spreads over more than three acres, bordered by Elliott Creek...The gardens are English Arts & Craftsman-style, complementing the 1920 Sears Craftsman bungalow home. Emphasis has been on structure, improving sightlines, and creating four-season interest. All garden beds and features are carefully placed among the existing trees, some more than 100 years old. Features include a Fibonacci spiral garden, English parterre, allee of potted hydrangeas, five different shrub hedges. Garden structures include a pergola, gazebo, “heart” shaped trellis, domed rose trellis, rose arbor, and a “dollhouse” garden shed. 

Nice color echo between the cordyline and window box flowers.

While I missed many of the features called out in the garden's description, I did notice the black and white pattern repeated on garden structures and pots. I love design consistency throughout a garden so this fun touch spoke to me.

Hmm, not sure this one had (yet) received the black and white treatment.

Agave! I believe it was an Agave desmettiana.

And I'm betting these are its pups.

Cephalanthus occidentalis, buttonbush. 

How cute is that?

One more photo from The Bove Grove...

... and then we were off to our lunch spot, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House. Years ago (pre-blog) I visited Taliesin West in Scottsdale, AZ. It was a memorable experience. 

It wasn't until we pulled up in front of the house that we learned we'd have to pay extra to be allowed inside the home, our lunch visit only included walking around the grounds. So odd.

Love the planters. 

From the Fling program: The Martin House’s historic landscape, a collaboration between Wright and Walter Burley Griffin, was restored in 2019. Correspondence reveals that the expansive gardens were a specific request, reflecting Isabelle Martin’s love of flower arranging and Darwin Martin’s passion for landscape design. A raised terrace with dual-sided floral and shrub borders flanks the pergola and links the estate grounds to the Barton House. The primary courtyard features peonies, lilies, and an English-style border of perennials. Original Japanese-imported wisteria climbs the pergola trellises and adds a distinctive and historically authentic touch to the restoration. The landscape’s most distinctive feature is an arc of seasonal blooms, known as the floricycle, encompassing the east verandah of the house. I missed the floricycle, perhaps you could only see it on the house tour?

Luckily the conservatory was open for exploring even without a tour ticket.

From the Martin House website: The conservatory is an indoor glass-enclosed garden for protecting, cultivating, and showcasing rare and tropical plants. It is composed of a series of concrete planters with built-in watering mechanisms, as well as a hand-crank system for opening panels in the skylight.

More from the website: The conservatory also features a dramatic, full-size replica of the classical sculpture of the Winged Victory of Samothrace—a commanding presence that is visible from the front door of Martin House.

I wouldn't mind a conservatory with a hand-crank system for opening panels in the skylight. How fancy.

A few close-ups of the plants...

The texture!

Microsorum diversifolium, I believe.

Pola-dot Begonia.

Phlebodium sp.

Asplenium nidus, perhaps?

The wavy version.

This looked a lot like my Drynaria (Aglaomorpha) coronans.

After walking through the conservatory you step up to the pergola... (from the website)... the pergola is a long open air, covered walkway extending from the principal Martin residence to the conservatory. There are eleven openings on either side of the elevated structure, which serve as “windows” with framed views onto the surrounding gardens and outdoor rooms.

After that I stepped back out into the landscape and came across some fellow Flingers waiting for the bus. Left to right; Heather, Anny, Pilar and Debbie. Only one more Fling post, and that's coming up on Friday.

The Bit at the End

These ceiling fans—shown on the McMansion Hell blog—are so completely not Frank Lloyd Wright style that I had to  include the link here, just for the extreme contrast. Check them out!

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All material © 2009-2026 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.